iPhone 5 vs. Lumia 920: Which phone should you get?

Apple has released the iPhone 5 and Nokia and Microsoft have now matched it with their flagship Lumia 920. Where Apple's offering is unbelievably sleek and slim, Nokia's is proudly big and thick. Where Apple is glass and aluminum, Nokia is a polycarbonate that feel not of this earth. Where Apple made their camera thinner, Nokia made theirs much, much better. Where Apple offers the textures and gradients of iOS, Nokia is all in on the flat panoramas of Windows Phone. Physically and philosophically, the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 couldn't be more different in every way but their relentless pursuit of ease of use. So how can you choose between them?

Let's find out!

Nokia Lumia 920

The Lumia 920 is a lot of phone. (A lot of phone.) While it may look a lot like last year's Lumia 900, component-wise there's been some serious escalation. It has a large 4.5 in IPS display at 768x1280, which is 720p with room to stretch. The body is polycarbonate, and comes in glossy white, yellow, and red, or matt gray, black, or cyan. And inside that body, the Lumia 920 is running on a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU with 1GB of RAM. The big deal, though, is the PureView camera. It has optical image stabilization (OIS), which physically "floats" the lens, allowing the aperture to stay open longer and collect more light. It doesn't make a huge difference to still pictures during the day, but it makes a world of difference for low-light photos or moving video. There's also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, LTE, and wireless charging. On the downside, on-board storage tops out at 32GB and it's not expandable.

Windows Phone 8 builds on Windows Phone 7, extending the aesthetic while ramping up the capabilities. First and foremost, Windows Phone 8 brings Microsoft's famed NT kernel to their mobile operating system, and a slew of improvements to along with it. You've got Live Tiles and Live Apps, so your Home screen has even more and better glance-able information and customizability. There's Microsoft Wallet for mobile payments, and both Bing and Internet Explorer got a boost. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't have time to finish their version of Notification Center, so you'll have to wait on that.

The Lumia 920 is the pinnacle of Nokia engineering. It has great build quality, filled with the latest technology and it also looks really good while doing it. We found nary any issues with the hardware and if you’re comfortable with Windows Phone 8, this phone is your best option…if you want the best. The PureView camera, while not perfect, gives outstanding night photos and shoots the best video of any phone on the market today. The plethora of Nokia software like GPS navigation only sweetens the deal.

Like Apple, Microsoft has a retail store presence now, though they aren't as plentiful yet. They also have an ecosystem that, while nowhere near as big for mobile, does include the massive Windows 8, all the Live online services you can throw data at, and the popular Xbox gaming lines.

In the U.S., the Nokia Lumia 920 is exclusive to AT&T, but they're offering it at a really cheap on-contract price, only $99 for 32GB. Of course, any up-front savings are obliterated by the cost of a voice and data plan over 2 years, but it's a nice way to get people in the door.

Apple iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has a completely re-engineered unibody aluminum chassis to allow for a bigger 4-inch screen in a phone that's 12% smaller by volume. It's taller but not wider, thinner and also lighter. That 4-inch screen uses in-cell technology to combine the touch sensor right into the LCD so the pixels look painted on. At 1136x640 and 326ppi, it's still backlit LED, and still IPS, and technically the best, most advanced panel on the planet for now. Apple also rolled their own, manually-set Apple A6 processor this time, based on ARM v7s, for amazing performance and excellent power management.There is CDMA, HSPA, and international LTE. And you can get it in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. There's still no NFC or wireless charging, however.

iOS 6 comes loaded on the iPhone 5, and includes a new, controversial Maps app, some great extensions to Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, deep Facebook integration, Passbook for tickets and vouchers, and enhancements to FaceTime, Mail, Safari, Photo Stream, Panorama, and Accessibility. And because Apple makes both the hardware and the software, there's no integration cost, no added interface layers, and a seamless experience overall.

iTunes has the biggest international content footprint, so if you're into buying your music, TV, and movies, there's a better chance Apple will take your money than anyone else. They also have the free iCloud service for backup, restore, and sync, as well as Apple Retail Stores with Genius Bars which, if you ever break your phone, you'll absolutely consider a killer service.

Taller, thinner, faster, lighter, brighter; the iPhone 5 represents nothing more nor less than the latest, relentless iteration on the Platonic ideal Apple has been striving towards for almost a decade. Redesigned in every way but shape, compromised but true to its purpose, the iPhone 5 is once again the best iPhone Apple has ever made, and one of the best phones ever made. Period.

The price on-contract price for an iPhone 5 is $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB, unlocked and off-contract is $650, $750, and $850 respectively.

Apple iPhone 5 vs. Nokia Lumia 920: The bottom line

If you're all-in on Microsoft and Xbox, however, if you want a phone that's as big and bad-ass as they come, if you can live with 32GB of storage even with arguably the best camera to found on a phone, if you want something that's not the mainstream, that's actually thought out differently from the iPhone, and if app quantity and visual variety isn't a big deal for you, the Nokia Lumina 920 might just be for you.

If you're all-in on iTunes and you want a phone that's big enough yet ludicrously thin and light, and built like nothing else on the market, if you want an option for 64GB of storage and access to 700,000+ apps, each one with the potential for a radically different look and feel, and the most music, movies, and TV shows in the most international markets, if you want something a little more fleshed out and feature rich, the iPhone 5 is still king of the mainstream smartphones.

In other words, you want something hugely different and just plain huge, get an Nokia Lumia 920. Otherwise, stick with an iPhone 5.

More help

Need more help choosing between the iPhone 5 and the Nokia Lumia 920? Here's where you can have your questions answered!

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Hallo.....
I don't know which i would like to buy...
But one important that i know nokia Navigation in germany work perfect offline, without internet or SIM Card...
And map in my iphone i can remove, i don't use anymore, very useless.... kikki.....

Lumia and WP8 is a fresh phone. On the bright side, it has an awesome display and unique UI that no other mobile OS has. I have tried to like and keep a 920, but when it comes down to user experience and the consistency of it my old iPhone 4 still suits me better. WP8 has too much character to it that I just couldn't cope with.

I own both an iPhone 5 and Lumia 920. I also have owned several iPhones and WP7 devices, so I am very familiar with both. The 920, is much more interesting, fresh, and fun than aging iOS. I love the look and feel WP7 and WP8, and I am rooting for them to succeed. I really like how people-centric the Windows Phone operating system is, and the live tiles are very much like Android widgets.

But........the ability to get things done quickly, accurately and efficiently goes to the iPhone in a landslide. Everybody knows about the apps, but with the iPhone, I find that I can just tap tap tap and get 3 or 4 things done in rapid succession that I could never so as smoothly or elegantly on the Lumia 920. Plus WP8 unfortunately has so many holes in the app department (both missing and underpowered) that I could never use it as my daily phone. But when I want to have a fun refreshing experience, I pick up and use the Lumia 920 very often.

The freshness of Win 8 and Win 8 phones in general has me considering a change after 6 years on iOs, but the comment above about getting stuff done is ringing true. For that reason I havent bought a Surface yet. I have an Acer WP500 tablet with Win 8 on it, and while I like it, it hasnt forced me to 'buy\want' a Surface, I cant see just using the tablet everyday.

Sadly I may stick myself with an iphone 5 for the next 2 years, again...

Currently an iPhone 4 owner, but I'm heavily considering the Lumia 920 (or 820) for my next contract.

The reason I'm considering is fairly simple; over the last four years, and two phones, I've had a significant investment in the App Store. Quite literally hundreds of dollars. I don't think that the Apple platform is going to continue with the same popularity for much longer, and thus consider leaving the platform without spending more money there. The App Store, and Apple ecosystem is just one way to keep users around - who wants to buy a different platform if none of their apps work, or are available? In the future, I'll be considering phones more for their main intent - making phone calls, and less the two minute game while waiting for someone.

It might not be next year, or even the year after, but surely others have noticed the change in consumer sentiment recently, too. I'm considering getting out early.

I must be missing something. The "consumer sentiment recently"? Where I live it seems like everyone I know is getting an iPhone. I know people who bought out of their Blackberry and Andoid contracts to buy the iphone 5. As for the main intent being making phone calls, I'm not sure how many people are actually using their phone to make phone calls. And if that's the case why not just buy a feature phone. I buy the phone that has the most content and services in the country I live in, and for me that is by far the iPhone. With the iPhone you not only have access to apple services (iTunes being the best for content availability) as well as other companies services such as Amazon and Google. I just think its a no brainier.

Yes, people are still leaving contracts to get an iPhone. I don't debate that in the least. And the iPhone is an excellent phone, and probably will continue to be for some time.

The iPhone here seemed to peak with the 4 and 4S. It is early days for the iPhone 5 though, so it may not remain that way for long. Currently, I only know one person who has an iPhone 5. I asked about it, and was told it's more of the same. There isn't even anything wrong with that - it's an excellent product. In fact, for this very reason, the alternatives I'm considering for my next phone are the iPhone 5, and the Lumia 820 or 920.

With regards to consumer sentiment, I work in a store that sells Apple products as well as competing products, so what I see might be magnified from what others see, or it could simply be a trend of people who dislike Apple, all buying things at the same time (this is why I said I'm considering exiting the Apple ecosystem, and I'm not definitely out). It is an attitude that I've never seen quite so commonly before, or for an ongoing period of time, though.

As for a feature phone - for the amount I'm spending on my contract, in my location, any of the three models I'm considering are available without paying for the handset on various carriers (iPhone 5 and 820 on my current carrier, and all three on the other), so it doesn't hurt me to have a phone that can do additional things.

The main purpose of a phone still remains to make phone calls though, and it seems strange to me that people purchasing a phone would not consider that (and perhaps the iPod Touch is a better choice for those people that don't). My belief is that the iPhone wont be the best forever, and I consider switching because I don't want to feel attached to the iPhone due to my current investment in the App Store when this becomes apparent. The more you have, the more you have to lose, which is why I'm considering getting out early, before the amount I have to lose outweighs the benefit of leaving.

It's ALL about the software experience.. and I think the Metro UI, though innovative in ways.. fails. The live tiles are confusing and distracting at the same time. The windows font is ugly.. and microsoft seriously needs to simply operation with windows 8.

Haven't held a Windows 8 Phone yet, but the visual styling of the tiles pleases me greatly. I'd really like to see it in operation in my own hands. I'm extremely bored of the iOS springboard's static icons.

If Windows Phone 8 had all the awesome Google services of Android underneath, I think I'd wet myself. THAT to me, I think, would be a very compelling reason to switch. Google Navigation for Android is amazing; and I'm loving the new Google Search App for iOS (that transcribes what you speak surprisingly accurately AS YOU SPEAK IT and updates by context as you continue). I only wish it would function system-wide. Siri has a lot of catching up to do. The best compromise I've seen, via Jailbreak, is a tweak that lets me run a quick voice search via Google (but unfortunately not via the Google Search app) from anywhere in iOS with a short hold of the Sleep button (or any other Activation method you choose).

I am kinda deep into iOS these days with all the Apps and my iPad (3); but I've been deeper into Google services for much longer; and Windows even longer than that. My dream would be to combine the best of all worlds. Alas, that can never happen. But I root for much success from the competing platforms --- especially windows phone, because it can only help to inspire and motivate further innovation at Apple and the Jailbreak community (and everywhere else as well).

First thing: If you come to an iOS fan site/blog and expect zero slant towards and iPhone vs X post then you may be unrealistic.

As for Rene's views I will say I agree about the UI. Right now WP8 is fresh, the hawtness, beasty looking or whatever else lingo my kids are now saying. I do not think this will age as well as iOS has however. Where as WP8 is all in on the "Don't call it Metro" design philosophy iOS has a better underlying foundation. A couple years (maybe less) when Android has gone Key Lime and Ive has been pounding away on iOS what does WP8 do? Their whole philosophy is based on just having a scrollable list of tiles. It's basically what iOS is currently getting slammed for being - an Android app drawer. Apple has the ability to add features to their springboard and as long as fits in with their graphical theme it will integrate well. Heck Android changes skins and design philosophies more often than most people change their underwear. I don't believe WP8 will age as gracefully as iOS has and cannot reinvent itself as often as Android.

That's my concern as well. Metro looks great, but is so monotonous I think it will look far more boring than iOS apps within a much shorter period of time. (And if Microsoft opens it up, they lose the consistency of design language.)

What Metro has on it's side is that it is "always" changing thanks to "live tiles". So as time goes on what is presented to you will in theory always be relevant. Whether it be updates from your Friends on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn - or the latest news updates from CNN, WSJ or your favorite blog sites.. That value this brings shouldn't be overlooked.

Agreed.People are going gaga over WP8 because it's new and iOS has been there for a long time. I don't see WP ageing that nicely(dont forget WP befor WP7 with live tiles came). I have used iphone and iphone 4(along with many android devices) and waiting for my ip5 and i can honestly say that apple's ecosystem gives me the best experience. Right now android is better placed than both iOS and WP because it's an open system but i am sure in years to come we will see something new come up to challenge android and gradually it will to lose its sheen.

Leaving out information in a comparison is not that different that being factually inaccurate.

At no point do I see the issue of the fragility of the anodizing of the aluminum, or softness of the aluminum raised as a concern with the iPhone 5. Yet I listen to about a dozen podcasts, and read numerous websites, all of which have raised this issue with the iPhone 5. Personally, I would be seriously pissed if I laid out the dollars to purchase an iPhone 5 and it started showing scratches virtually the minute it came out of the box. And if you want to take it one step further, why not point out that the vast majority iPhone users keep their phone wrapped in a case because of it. How "big and chunky" is a naked 920 vs an iPhone 5 wrapped in an Otterbox? (Answer: the 920 is thinner, lighter and has more screen)

I have an iPhone 5 along with 4 family members and 7 close friends (just off the top of my head) and not one of them has an issue with "fragility of the aluminum". In fact i don't even have a case on mine and have not experienced any scratching. It sounds like you haven't purchased an iPhone 5 yourself so criticizing someone for not mentioning something which you have no idea about is wrong. Don't always believe what you read, it can make you sound foolish. And this is by no means discrediting the merits or build quality of the lumia.

well i bet dropping your phone will definitely shatter your iPhone's front panel or heavily scratch your the back side or even both. the 920 is far more durable than an iphone just go and check how really the lumia 920 is durable. they even used the front glass to hammer a nail to a piece of wood and it didn't even scratch.

You're not being factually accurate when you say the iPhone "technically has the best most advanced panel in the world" for example, that's a plain lie and you're just quoting Apple's marketing. Lumia's screen has a higher pixel density than the iphone 5, can be used with gloves (no, not a gimmick. A fantastic thing for the winter, at least on mine and a lot of people's part of the planet), and a refresh rate of 60hz, which gives you blur free image. How is it a fact that the iPhone has the best screen in the world?

Since there's more to refresh-rate than the mere hertz you implied, I'd say you. When pixel transition time is bigger than 1 sec/hz, you get overlapping images (blur) and this is what Nokia managed to eliminate.

Also, hiding behind 3rd party quotes doesn't disprove bias. If 9 out of 10 tech sites tout PureMotion HD as the most advanced mobile screen and you opt for that one site that hasn't yet tested Puremotion, then you're biased. it's like saying the Iphone 4 has a better camera than a Pureview 808 because you went with a source that has yet to review a Pureview 808.

From reading the review, the major drawback I see is the 32GB limit. It also sounds like a few of the details are not quite refined, such as the notification centre.
All other aspects sound pretty good though I do have a few questions.
When you say: "I can buy an iOS app that looks exactly like Windows Phone 8 music player. I can't buy a Windows Phone 8 app that looks exactly like the stock Android or iOS music player." I assume you are talking about "Track 8" on the iPhone. Can you clarify though.... Are you saying that Microsoft does not allow an App to be created that looks like the IPhone music player? Or are you saying the SDK is not capable, or is there just not a developer who has created an App that looks like this yet?

The argument around the number of Apps, in my opinion, is not nearly a big a deal as its made to seem. Yes its impressive that Apple has so many, but in reality I actually know about a tiny, tiny fraction of those and use way less (and I own a lot of apps). Most of the main functionality is available across all the major platforms from one App vendor or another.

The bigger question in my mind is whether Microsoft will stick with this. Windows Phone 7 left a large number of people high and dry. It was actually worse as an Enterprise phone platform than an iPhone (though on par with most Androids). It was an OK consumer phone that looked promising, but in the end they left the same consumers without an upgrade path. Something feels a little different about Windows phone 8 though... There are signs of a good ecosystem now. They include XBOX services, Windows 8 (Tablet and PC), and Windows Phone 8.
I would really like to see Microsoft succeed with this as the Industry needs to remain competitive and hopefully as a result, innovative. I imagine this last piece will get harder and harder as us consumers seem to have shorter and shorter attention spans and innovation can't happen fast enough ;-)

I didn't include the issue of Microsoft abandoning compatibility for Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Phone 7 because I trust them when they say that's a thing of the past. Maybe twice bitten, once shy, but Microsoft gaining consumer traction is a much bigger concern for the platform for me right now.

I bought me a 920, and that was after my iPhone 5 purchase. I got to say I'm quite impressed with WP8. There was just nothing new with my iPhone 5, maybe a bit longer and better battery. iOS6 Facebook integration is more like sharekit built in, no real integration. If your a social media user WP is definitely going in the right direction.

But WP7 devices all can get the 7.8 upgrade which supposedly has many features from WP8 that can come over to the CE kernel. This should satisfy many until or close to the time they are eligable for an upgrade. I wouldn't say abandoning the OS as more than moving away due to the kernel and hardware differences, but thats just word games.

As a WebOS fan, I can't agree with your final statement more. I would LOVE to have new WebOS devices to choose from, but until Open WebOS is complete I'm looking at alternatives. That's a damn shame, but it's just a truth of the market.

Yes it does. If I recall, this comparison is PHONE TO PHONE, not Phone to User base. With your logic here, "Phone A is not good because there sint a lot of people using it. But phone B is amazing, because even though its hardware is under par, lots of people use it" .. its bias and its wrong.

So you are suggesting it should receive a less favorable review because people arent buying it (which isnt true.) And that is why you cant include all the facts, and suggest that people should stick with the Iphone. Because Iphones are bought, and WP devices arent.

No offense, but that is third grade logic right there. And then I'm actually insulting third grade students.

I think the bias remarks are you seem to have made your decision even before you started writing the article. And IF your conclusion was somehow favorable the Lumia then you wouldn't even publish this because its an Apple centric site. The what's the point other than to slyly shoot negativity towards a legitimate competitor?

Personally I was a big fan of the ate because Rene Ritchie seemed pretty legit. But after watching him on MacBreak a few times and reading this and the Surface article then clearly he's taking the Gruber road to notoriety. Find some truth, pretend to be open minded and then crush it with exaggerations.

Rene is a lot of things, but stricken with bias, he isn't. He is correct here, and you folks slamming him for giving a factually accurate description of the two ecosystems is just wrong. iOS is certainly boring, but highly functional for non-corporate stuff. Windows Phone has better corporate (sharepoint and lync) and social media functionality, but fewer truly great third party apps.

After five years with iPhone, I just upgraded to the Lumia. iOS has hit a road block and Apple refuses to see it.
Of course, I plan on using the Lumia as a hot spot so I can use my WiFi only iPad Mini for email and web.

I've thought about that a lot, and I actually think it's the opposite now. Windows Phone looks "different" but the design is far more locked down than iOS, which means the difference won't be long lasting.

I can buy an iOS app that looks exactly like Windows Phone 8 music player. I can't buy a Windows Phone 8 app that looks exactly like the stock Android or iOS music player.

It's like switching to French food, but only ever getting 3 very similar French dishes to choose from.

I'll have to spend more time with Windows Phone 8 to properly express the idea, though.